Communication Between Sensor Units and a Recorder

ABSTRACT

A seismic acquisition system. In one implementation, the seismic acquisition system includes a recorder having a memory having a communication protocol application stored therein and one or more sensor units in communication with the recorder through a communications network. Each sensor unit may include a memory having the communication protocol application stored therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/385,439, filed Mar. 21, 2006, which is herein incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

Implementations of various technologies described herein generallyrelate to seismic acquisition.

2. Description of the Related Art

The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior artby virtue of their inclusion within this section.

A seismic survey typically includes an acquisition system consisting ofa plurality of seismic sources that exert energy on the earth, arecorder and a plurality of sensor units configured to record signalscontaining the reflected energy exerted by the seismic sources, whichmay commonly be referred to as seismic data. Typically, the seismic datamay be forwarded to the recorder through a set of transport networknodes that run applications configured to gather the seismic data fromthe sensor units by a polling technique and push the seismic data to therecorder.

SUMMARY

Described herein are implementations of various technologies for aseismic acquisition system. In one implementation, the seismicacquisition system includes a recorder having a memory having acommunication protocol application stored therein and one or more sensorunits in communication with the recorder through a communicationsnetwork. Each sensor unit may include a memory having the communicationprotocol application stored therein.

Described herein are also implementations of various technologies forsending seismic data to a recorder by a sensor unit. In oneimplementation, the method includes sampling seismic data from a sensorof the sensor unit, sending the seismic data to the recorder using acommunication protocol and receiving a signal acknowledging receipt ofthe seismic data by the recorder.

Described herein are also implementations of various technologies for asensor unit for a seismic acquisition system. In one implementation, thesensor unit includes a sensor, a processor and a memory comprisingprogram instructions executable by the processor to sample seismic datafrom the sensor and send the seismic data using a communicationprotocol.

Described herein are also implementations of various technologies for arecorder for a seismic acquisition system, which may include a processorand a memory comprising program instructions executable by the processorto receive seismic data from one or more sensor units using acommunication protocol and send an acknowledgement signal to the sensorunits using the communication protocol.

The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solveany or all of the noted disadvantages. Further, the summary section isprovided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form thatare further described below in the detailed description section. Thesummary section is not intended to identify key features or essentialfeatures of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used tolimit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a seismic acquisition system in accordance withimplementations of various technologies described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a sensor unit in accordancewith implementations of various technologies described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a recorder in accordance withimplementations of various technologies described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for sending seismic datain accordance with various technologies described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a seismic acquisition system 100 in accordance withimplementations of various technologies described herein. In oneimplementation, the seismic acquisition system 100 is used on land.However, it should be understood that in some implementations, theseismic acquisition system 100 may be used in other settings, such as amarine setting. The seismic acquisition system 100 may include sensorunits 110, 120 and 130 in communication with a communications network140. Although only three sensor units are shown, it should be understoodthat, in some implementations, more or less than three sensor units maybe used in the seismic acquisition system 100. Each sensor unit will bedescribed in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The seismic acquisition system 100 further includes a recorder 150 incommunication with the communications network 140. In this manner, thesensor units may communicate with the recorder 150 through thecommunications network 140, which may be any type of communicationsnetwork, including hardwired cables, wireless links, fiber optic,Ethernet network and the like. In one implementation, the communicationsnetwork 140 provides each sensor unit with two or more communicationpaths to the recorder 150, which may be configured to receive seismicdata and store them into records. The recorder 150 will be described inmore detail in the paragraphs below with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a sensor unit 200 inaccordance with implementations of various technologies describedherein. In one implementation, the sensor unit 200 may include a digitalsignal processor 210, a system memory 220, and a system bus 230 thatcouples the digital signal processor 210 with the system memory 220. Thesystem memory 220 may include a random access memory (RAM) 225 and aread-only memory (ROM) 228. The digital signal processor 210 may includea microprocessor. A basic input/output system containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between components within thecomputer, such as during startup, may be stored in the ROM 228.

The sensor unit 200 may further include a sensor 250, which isconfigured to detect seismic energy in the form of ground motion or apressure wave in fluid and transform it to an electrical impulse. Thesensor 250 may also be commonly referred to in the seismic acquisitionindustry as a receiver. In one implementation, the sensor 250 may be anaccelerometer, which may be configured to measure the acceleration of aship or aircraft, or to detect ground acceleration in boreholes or onthe earth's surface produced by acoustic vibrations. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that various types of sensors may be practicedin implementations of various technologies described herein. Further,although the sensor unit 200 is described as having one sensor, itshould be understood that, in some implementations, the sensor unit 200may have more than one sensor.

The sensor unit 200 may further include a storage device 240 for storingan operating system 245, a Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (TCP/IP) protocol application 246, a seismic acquisitionapplication 248 and other program modules executable by the digitalsignal processor 210. The operating system 245 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the sensor unit 200. The operating system 245may be Windows® XP, Mac OS® X, Unix-variants, like Linux® and BSD®, andthe like.

The TCP/IP protocol application 245 may be defined as a layered softwarearchitecture that allows the sensor units to communicate with therecorder 150 across the communications network 140. TCP/IP protocol mayalso be commonly known as the basic communication language or protocolof the Internet. As such, the sensor units may use the TCP/IP protocolapplication 245 to transfer seismic data to the recorder 150. Althoughthe above referenced implementations are described with reference to aTCP/IP protocol, it should be understood that some implementations mayuse other types of communication protocols, such as connection-orientedend-to-end protocols, Open Systems Interconnection (OSI), asynchronoustransfer mode (ATM) and the like.

The seismic acquisition application 248 may be configured to sampleseismic data from the sensor 250 and send the seismic data to therecorder 150 using the TCP/IP protocol application 246. The manner inwhich seismic data are transferred between the sensor units and therecorder will be described in more detail in the following paragraphswith reference to FIG. 4.

The storage device 240 may be connected to the digital signal processor210 through the system bus 230 and a mass storage controller (notshown). The storage device 240 and its associated computer-readablemedia may be configured to provide non-volatile storage for the sensorunit 200. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatcomputer-readable media may refer to any available media that can beaccessed by the sensor unit 200. For example, computer-readable mediamay include computer storage media and communication media. Computerstorage media includes volatile and non-volatile, and removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Computer storage media further includes,but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by the sensor unit 200.

The sensor unit 200 may connect to the communications network 140through a network interface unit 260 connected to the system bus 230. Itshould be appreciated that the network interface unit 260 may beconfigured to connect to any type of communications network, including awireless network.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a recorder 300 in accordancewith implementations of various technologies described herein. In oneimplementation, the recorder 300 may include a CPU 310, a system memory320, a storage device 340, a system bus 330 that couples the CPU 310with the system memory 320 and the storage device 340. The CPU 310 maybe configured to process various program modules stored inside thestorage device 340, some of which will be discussed in more detail inthe following paragraphs.

The system memory 320 may include a random access memory (RAM) 325 and aread-only memory (ROM) 328. A basic input/output system containing thebasic routines that help to transfer information between componentswithin the computer, such as during startup, may be stored in the ROM328.

The storage device 340 may include an operating system 345, a TCP/IPprotocol application 346, a receipt and acknowledgement application 348and other program modules executable by the CPU 310. The operatingsystem 345 may be configured to control the operation of the recorder300. The operating system 345 may be Windows® XP, Mac OS® X,Unix-variants, like Linux® and BSD®, and the like. The TCP/IP protocolapplication 346 may enable the recorder 300 to communicate with thesensor unit 200 through the communications network 140. As mentionedabove, it should be understood that in some implementations othercommunication protocols, such as ATM, OSI and the like, may be used tofacilitate communications between the sensor unit 200 and the recorder300. The receipt-and-acknowledgement application 348 may be configuredto receive seismic data from the sensor unit 200 and send anacknowledgement signal back to the sensor unit 200 using the TCP/IPprotocol application 346.

The storage device 340 and its associated computer-readable media may beconfigured to provide non-volatile storage for the recorder 300. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that computer-readable media mayrefer to any available media that can be accessed by the recorder 300.For example, computer-readable media may include computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile andnon-volatile, and removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data. Computer storage media further includes, but is not limitedto, RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatiledisks (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetictape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium which can be used to store the desired information andwhich can be accessed by the recorder 300.

The recorder 300 may connect to the communications network 140 through anetwork interface unit 360 connected to the system bus 330. It should beappreciated that the network interface unit 360 may also be used toconnect to other types of networks and remote computer systems.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 400 for sending seismicdata to a recorder in accordance with various technologies describedherein. At step 410, a command for sending seismic data to an IP addressis received by the sensor unit 200. In one implementation, the IPaddress is the IP address of the recorder 300. In response to receivingthe command from the recorder 300, the sensor unit 200 samples theseismic data and sends the seismic data through the communicationsnetwork 140 using the TCP/IP protocol application 246 to the recorder300 (step 420). In one implementation, the sensor unit 200 performs step420 without having to receive the request command from the recorder 300.In another implementation, the seismic data may be sent to the recorder300 using another communication protocol, such as OSI and the like. Atstep 430, an acknowledgement signal from the recorder 300 is received bythe sensor unit 200. The sensor unit 200 may continue to sample and sendseismic data to the recorder 300 until the seismic acquisition processis completed.

In one implementation, if no acknowledgement signal from the recorder isreceived, then the sensor unit 200 may resend the seismic data through adifferent path in the communications network 140. In this manner, thesensor unit 200 may simply resend a package of seismic data through adifferent path in the event that the package of seismic data is lostduring the earlier transmission, without having to analyze whether thecommunication breakdown occurred between the sensor unit 200 and thecommunications network 140 or between the communications network 140 andthe recorder 300. Although the use of the TCP/IP communication protocolhas been described with reference to seismic data, it should beunderstood that, in some implementations, other information, such ascommands between the recorder and the sensor units, status informationfrom the sensor units to the recorder, and the like, may be communicatedvia the TCP/IP communication protocol as well.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A seismic acquisition system, comprising: aseismic recorder for recording seismic data; a plurality of seismicsensor units in communication with the seismic recorder through acommunications network, wherein the sensor units are configured to: sendthe seismic data to the seismic recorder via a first communication path;and send the seismic data again to the seismic recorder via a secondcommunication path if an acknowledgement signal is not received, whereinthe first communication path is different from the second communicationpath.
 2. The seismic acquisition system of claim 1, wherein the sensorunits comprise one or more sensors.
 3. The seismic acquisition system ofclaim 2, wherein the sensors are accelerometers for measuring groundacceleration on the earth's surface produced by acoustic vibrations. 4.The seismic acquisition system of claim 2, wherein the sensor units arefurther configured to sample the seismic data from the sensors.
 5. Theseismic acquisition system of claim 1, wherein the first communicationpath and the second communication path are part of a communicationsprotocol.
 6. The seismic acquisition system of claim 1, wherein theseismic recorder is configured to send the acknowledgement signal to thesensor units upon receipt of the seismic data from the sensor units. 7.The seismic acquisition system of claim 1, wherein the communicationsnetwork is a wireless network.
 8. The seismic acquisition system ofclaim 1, wherein the acknowledgement signal indicates that the seismicrecorder received the seismic data.
 9. The acquisition system of claim1, wherein the seismic data are sent again without analyzing thecommunications network.
 10. A sensor unit for a seismic acquisitionsystem, comprising: a sensor; a processor; and a memory comprisingprogram instructions executable by the processor to: send seismic datavia a first communication path; and send the seismic data again via asecond communication path if an acknowledgement signal is not received,wherein the first communication path is different from the secondcommunication path.
 11. The sensor unit of claim 10, wherein the memoryfurther comprises program instructions executable by the processor tosample the seismic data from the sensor.
 12. The sensor unit of claim10, wherein the first communication path and the second communicationpath are part of a communication protocol.
 13. The sensor unit of claim10, wherein the communications protocol is a TCP/IP or an asynchronoustransfer mode (ATM) protocol.
 14. The sensor unit of claim 10, whereinthe seismic data are sent to a seismic recorder.
 15. The sensor unit ofclaim 14, wherein the acknowledgement signal indicates that the seismicrecorder received the seismic data.
 16. The sensor unit of claim 10,wherein the seismic data are acquired during a land seismic survey or amarine seismic survey.
 17. The sensor unit of claim 10, wherein thememory further comprises program instructions executable by theprocessor to receive a command to start sending the seismic data to aseismic recorder.
 18. The sensor unit of claim 10, wherein the firstcommunication path and the second communication path are part of acommunications network and the seismic data are sent again withoutanalyzing the communications network.
 19. The sensor unit of claim 10,further comprising a network interface unit configured to communicatewith a wireless communications network.
 20. The sensor unit of claim 10,wherein the sensor is an accelerometer for measuring ground accelerationon the earth's surface produced by acoustic vibrations.